On Monday Bloomberg published a story citing "three people familiar with the matter" that the US is prepared to announce the next round of tariffs on Chinese imports in early December if the mooted Trump-Xi G20 meeting does not go well.

If this is a coordinated negotiating tactic to pressure the Chinese to offer detailed concessions in advance of the possible meeting it seems risky, Why would Xi agree to meet if this threat is out there? It would be far too humiliating for him to take the meeting and then have the next round of tariffs come out while he is on the plane back to Beijing or soon after he lands. 

The US Department of Commerce has banned US technology exports to chipmaker Jinhua. The similar but short-lived ban on ZTE earlier this year did little for America but much for Xi and the CCP as it made indigenous innovation and over-reliance on the US a national rallying point in China. Will the US hold firm on Jinhua this time? Either way, the PRC’s drive for technological self-r…